Bang Bang Racing: Top-down drifts, mini-car mayhem

With a name like Bang Bang Racing, right out of the box (well, download in this case), you’d likely be expecting something along the lines of a Twisted Metal-style racing with guns and such, or even something like Mario Kart where you shoot items at one another trying to over take one another in an extreme struggle to stay in first. Instead, it’s a Micro Machines-like racing game that doesn’t use any of those items at all. While that may be a surprise, it doesn’t make it any less of a decent game.

The basic premise of the title is simple. Like any other racing game, you’re set with a task in a race track and you have to complete it accordingly to win. Some game modes include your standard races, where you race to first place; time trials, where you have to hit certain time ranges to earn gold; and elimination races, where after ten seconds the last place person is eliminated until one racer remains. These racing types are loaded into the game’s nine tracks. Despite the lack of places to race, the way it changes it up each time gives it a pretty good amount of variety. From reversing the direction you race, to adding shortcuts, to even adding some length to the track, it gives the player something different to race to each time.

There are four different classes of cars available for use each being faster than the other and different strengths. One’s your all-around car, and others specialize in acceleration, cornering, or nitrous use. Each class gets progressively harder, thanks to the ever-challenging A.I. Due to the lack of items, for your own personal use against your opponent, the game boils down to your driving skill and how effectively you use your nitrous. However, there are obstacles placed around the track to help you slow down your opponent from oil slicks and explosive barrels, they’re there to stop the A.I. from closing the gap between you and first place.

While the game itself is challenging, it has its downsides. First and foremost: the camera. The game does play like a traditional top-down racer, but while it follows a classic style, the camera is always placed behind your car and follows you wherever your car is turned. When you’re still learning the ropes of the game or even play for an extended period of time, it can leave you really dizzy. If you’re even more of a traditionalist, there’s an option for having a fixed camera. Unfortunately, this didn’t help me much either, since it would cover up certain parts of the course, forcing me to go into turns blind and ultimately messing me up. Unfortunately, there’s only local multiplayer available. With a traditional racing game like this doing most things right, it’s kind of a pity it that it doesn’t have online play.

However, there is enough single-player content to keep you busy if you’re a fan of this kind of racing. From the get-go, the game already shows you what it’s capable of, so this game will definitely keep you busy for a while.